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This creamy garlic pasta is fast, simple, and delicious! A weeknight favorite. This easy pasta recipe can be on your table in about 15 minutes!
Sometimes you just want comfort food. And fast. This pasta does this trick!
There’s plenty of creamy pasta recipes out there… some made with cream, and others with cream cheese or milk. You can’t beat the taste of real cream, in my opinion, so that’s what I went with. This recipe isn’t far off Fettuccine Alfredo, so if you like that, you’ll probably like this garlic parmesan pasta.
How to make creamy garlic pasta sauce (overview):
In a skillet, make a quick roux with the butter and flour, then stir in the garlic and chicken broth. You then add the cream and let the sauce thicken. Just prior to serving, add the parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Toss with the pasta and enjoy! (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
Sooo easy. And that creamy garlic sauce is so tasty.
Recipe notes & tips:
- I like this pasta as-is, but it’s a great blank canvas for adding in cooked chicken or other type or protein. You could even add some veggies (try a handful of peas) if you wanted to.
- I used linguine, but any kind of pasta (whatever’s in stock in your pantry!) will do. Penne would work great in this creamy pasta dish.
- I definitely recommend adding the parsley because it livens the dish up a bit. The freshness and touch of green is the perfect balance to the decadence of the creamy sauce.
- You could make this creamy pasta sauce with milk or half-and-half, but I haven’t tested it out. You’ll end up with a thinner sauce, but you will save some calories. If you do want to go that route, I suggest adding a touch more flour (but not too much more – you don’t want it to taste too floury) and/or cooking it for a bit longer so it reduces.
- I used chicken broth because it adds a lot of flavor to this simple dish. You could sub with vegetable broth if you really need this dish to be vegetarian, but I do personally prefer the taste when you use chicken broth/stock.
You may also like…
- Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
- 15 Minute Creamy Alfredo Gnocchi
- Easy Shrimp Alfredo
- Lemon Parmesan Chicken Alfredo Recipe
- Creamy Penne Pasta
I hope you will love this easy creamy garlic parmesan pasta recipe! Will you give it a try? Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.
Creamy Garlic Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta I used linguine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley chopped, to taste
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- When the pasta isn't far from being cooked, it's time to start the sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and let the roux cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the garlic and chicken broth and let it simmer for about a minute.
- Add in the cream and let the sauce cook for a few more minutes until it's thickened to your liking, then add the parmesan cheese, salt & pepper as needed, and parsley. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce until well coated (add a little pasta water if you wish to thin the sauce a bit). Serve immediately.
Notes
- I do all the prep while the pasta is cooking, so that's why I don't put anything for prep time.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m thinking of trying this with shrimp. Do you think the shrimp would cook enough in the sauce or should I partially cook them first? Thank you.
Hi! I think if you add them in step 4 it should give them enough time to cook. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
My teen daughter found and made it – so delicious! Keeping this recipe for sure. Will try with seafood next time.Thank you!
You’re very welcome!! So glad it was a hit! 🙂
Wow this is the first time I have found a recipe with a slider. What a great idea!!! The pasta was delicious too!
I’m so glad you found it helpful and enjoyed the recipe, Gail! 🙂
I made this .so good
So good to hear, Tanya! 🙂
can you wait a few hours before serving the sauce?
Hi! So, typically cream sauces don’t always keep/reheat that well. If you’re planning this for a party or guests, you may want to do a test run to see how it goes. You’d want to warm it up over a low heat so it doesn’t separate.
Wow my family loved this! Its my first time cooking this and Yum! (Can you please add like a 2 times (8 servings) and 3 times (12 servings) cause I have a bigger family.
I’m so glad you liked it! Actually if you look in the recipe card where it shows servings, you can adjust it with the slider. 🙂
Oh i didn’t see that sorry. it was still really good
No worries! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
I really enjoy the simple meal, I was not feeling too well and I didn’t want to Cork but at the same time I didn’t wanna have a takeout. I’m trying to start a diet or lifestyle change . I have a question to ask could you also put alternatives i.e. cream for Greek yoghurt or quark etc to eat those who are on a weight loss journey or lactose intolerant. I thoroughly did enjoy doing this with the alternatives I will give you plus plus
Hi! I use the higher fat dairy products for recipes like these because the results are better (taste, texture, and heavy cream doesn’t curdle as easily). You can definitely do some experimenting, but unfortunately creamy sauces just don’t tend to work as well with the lower fat alternatives.
Do you double the recipe if using 16oz of pasta instead of 8oz ?
I would say that’s probably a good idea if you want lots of sauce 🙂
Beautiful, I fancied creamy garlic pasta and came across this recipe. Very easy and tasted gorgeous. Big thumbs up from mom & myself 🙂
Wonderful! Thank you Dee!
Made this for the first time recently and really enjoyed it. Full of flavour and very easy and quick to make!
That’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Kate!
Hi Natasha, this was absolutely delicious. Thank you. Will become a regular on our menu with the chicken I baked. Julia
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha ! Loved the recipe and it turned out to be delicious. Extremely simple and tasty! Thanks for sharing. Dina
I’m so happy you like it, Dina 🙂